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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · cabinet · net · press · safe · wind · last · tube

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. press — to push
  3. tube — a container
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. press — newspapers
  7. last — final
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — after costs
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. net — for catching
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — an amount
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com